


Protect You

by fairiesmushroom



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Wholesome, girls being cute, however you interpet it, mentions a bit of death, romantic, sakura comforts aoi, sakura does Aoi's hair, sleepover, slight description of gore, they deserve the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26010418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairiesmushroom/pseuds/fairiesmushroom
Summary: Aoi receives a letter just when she needs it the most.Cute Sakuraoi for the soul! Set after the first trial and references these events, so spoilers for THH chapter one. Although it starts off a little sad, it's mostly just fluff and emotions because I want them to be happy.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura
Comments: 8
Kudos: 52





	Protect You

Fear was one of the most painful emotions Aoi could think of. First came the rising panic, where the knot forms in your throat and you can't even breathe to make it go away. Then disbelief, questioning if it was really happening, searching for some sort of solution and finally, and in Aoi's eyes the worst of all, was when hopelessness set in. The indescribable sense of dread when you know it's all real, and there's nothing else you can do except wait. And she hated waiting.

Pushing herself up on the edge of the bed, she sniffled and grabbed a tissue from the side-table, gently folding and unfolding it absentmindedly. She was thinking back on the trial again. In her mind she pictured Sayaka's body slumped lifeless against the cold bathroom wall. She had been so energetic before, and Aoi had had to push down a rising wave of vomit when she saw the blood-slicked knife still lodged in her abdomen. Like some sort of crude mannequin in a Halloween store, some lifeless thing almost too gory to be real. But Sayaka was real, and she was dead.

Enoshima's death had been even worse. Seeing a corpse was terrible, but watching someone die so quickly and painfully left Aoi in a state of shock that left her unable to think about anything else for several hours. She had never been a fan of horror movies, occasionally watching them with Yuta when he asked, and remembered hating how much fake blood there was. She never thought it was realistic. But Enoshima's blood covered everything. Aoi thought she might even have got some droplets on her shoes, and spent half an hour vigorously scrubbing at them with a wet tissue.

And while Leon was a killer, he was still her classmate. A normal classmate, a stupid teenage boy with friends and problems and dreams just like the rest of them. Even after what he did to Sayaka, Aoi still couldn't bear to look at the battered body of someone she had eaten dinner with not even a day earlier. The helplessness of their deaths made her furious, but her anger was overwhelmed by pure fear. The lack of control and safety plagued her mind constantly, and left her feeling almost nauseous.

She shivered and stopped playing with the tissue, instead wiping her tears. After Leon's execution, everyone, even Togami, seemed disturbed to some degree. They had all agreed to split off into their rooms for the night, but Aoi wished she wasn't alone. Despite all Makoto's efforts to cheer everyone up, the only time she had felt safe since Sayaka's death was with Sakura.

Sakura Oogami, the Ulitimate Martial artist, and Aoi Asahina's first friend in this place. From the first interaction they had, Aoi was sure they would be close. Both had an interest in sports and athleticism, and whilst Aoi was a lot more chatty, Sakura had happily listened to her talk and stayed in her company. She was kind and gentle, completely misjudged by the others, the swimmer thought. As Aoi stood up from the bed, she thought more about the other girl.

Sakura was amazing - visually she was built like some sort of ancient Grecian statue, ones that Aoi remembered studying in school - tall, muscular and powerful. Her hair was a soft white colour that fell about her shoulders and framed her face. Her strong features and sharp nose also reminded Aoi of some sort of mythological hero, and she smiled to herself thinking about it. There was no doubt Sakura Oogami was impressive, and in Aoi's personal opinion very pretty too, with an intimidating yet graceful demeanor that never seemed to falter, not even after hearing the cruel nickname of 'ogre' given to her by some other immature classmates.

Aoi realised she was smiling to herself thinking about her conversations over tea with the other girl. She sighed and went into the bathroom, and began washing her face. Although she was tired and wanted to sleep, the thoughts of her dead classmates seemed to be ingrained into her mind. Staring into her reflection, she gently prodded at her puffy cheeks and visible dark circles. It was so obvious she had been crying, and for a second she felt ashamed. She hadn't even lost anyone that close to her - Makoto was the one closest to Sayaka, and Yasuhiro and Leon had seemed to get along pretty well. Maybe she was being selfish by not checking if they were ok. She wondered if her usual happy and caring outlook would now be completely and utterly destroyed, and began to feel the tears well up again. Just as she was about cry, a quiet rustling outside her door stopped her instantly. It felt like her heart had stopped beating as she froze in place. Oh God, what if it was another killer?! She knew she wasn't the weakest target to pick; Chihiro and Celeste were much smaller girls, and Aoi's strict training regimen also included self defense karate lessons. But she was only so strong. If someone like Mondo came through the door, she wouldn't stand a chance.

As she listened, the shuffling stopped. There was a moment of silence, and then the sound of footsteps quickly leaving left down the hall. Aoi let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and gingerly crept out of the bathroom. Looking towards the door, she saw a pink envelope lying under the gap. What?

She wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, it could be some sort of trap, a poisonous letter or something - unsure what to do she inched closer.

'Dear Aoi Asahina' was written on the front of the envelope, in neat sloping cursive. Cautiously she reached down and picked up the letter, flipping it over to check for anything suspicious.

It seemed safe enough, so she retreated to the bed and peeled open the top. Inside were 2 sheets of writing paper, and as she pulled them out of the envelope Aoi caught the distinct smell of Roses. Scented writing paper seemed like something that would have been provided to specific students - she didn't remember anything like that in the common areas. Was this from Toko? Why would Toko write her a letter?

'Dear Aoi,

My apologies for the lateness of my delivery. I am writing this as we get closer to our imposed curfew, but I hope to be able to deliver this to you on time. I hope this letter does not sound too strange.  
This place is dangerous, and I have seen how the deaths have made you afraid. I know we have only just met, but I want you to know that I will protect you from the others at no matter what cost. I value our friendship greatly. Although this may feel impossible, I am confident in you, that you will be alright. You are like a beautiful ray of sunshine to help us through this, and your spirit is inspiring to me. You are stronger than you know, but even so, I will not hesitate to protect you. I am unsure if this will make you feel safe, but I wanted you to know this.

Sakura.'

Aoi's head was spinning. Sakura had offered to protect her - offered to keep her safe. The letter shook in her hand as she began to cry again, but this time not of fear. Out of relief or hope, she wasn't sure, but as she hugged the letter to herself, she glanced at the clock. 9:54pm, 6 minutes before Monokuma's curfew was enforced.

Well, fuck Monokuma. Fuck Monokuma and his shitty little curfew. This letter had changed everything.

She rushed over to her door and quickly slid on her shoes, despite still being in her pyjamas. Aoi was going to see Sakura, the only person who made her forget the fear. With the letter grasped tightly in one hand, she flung open the door and almost ran down the hallway. It felt good to be rebellious, it felt like somehow in her own small way she was taking a stand against this stupid Killing Game.

She slowed down as she approached Sakura's door, stopping in front of the little name card. Even looking at that filled her with relief. Without hesitation, she knocked on the door and waited. Inside, there was movement and Aoi impatiently bounced on her heels, fiddling with the letter, until the door was opened.  
Sakura was standing there in her dressing gown, with a face mask on. As soon as she saw Aoi her mouth opened to say something, but was interrupted by the swimmer enveloping her in a powerful hug.  
Suprised, she gently hugged Aoi back, and they stayed like that for a moment.

"Thank you for the letter." Aoi mumbled quietly.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you for reading it."

"You scared me a little. I thought you were a killer..."

"I could say the same about you, violently knocking at my door near curfew, Asahina."

Aoi laughed. "They would have to be an idiot to try and kill you, Sakura. There isnt anyone who could beat you in a fight." She pulled away a bit and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late but when I got your letter I just had to come and thank you. I don't know why, but you're the only person I truly 100% trust in here. I just ... I wanted to see you."

Sakura just nodded. "I am glad to see you too Asahina. Truthfully, I was hoping to give you the letter in person, but I assumed you would be asleep."  
"I can't sleep. I just can't. Everytime I try I keep seeing Sayaka and Junko and Leon and- it's constantly in my mind."

There was silence for a moment, until Sakura stepped aside and motioned into her room. Aoi looked at her in confusion.

"The curfew only restricts entrance into the Dining Hall after 10pm. The Bear mentioned nothing about students staying in other areas. If you would like, I would be happy to have you stay in my room." Sakura smiled and then gestured to the Bathroom. "I found these facemasks in one of my bathroom cabinets. We could have a sleepover together, like ... A 'Girls Night'". She turned back to Aoi who was already halfway inside the room. She smiled back at Sakura, "I'd really like that."

Once agreeing, Sakura left the room to go retrieve Aoi's belongings. Aoi, who had made herself comfortable on the rooms sofa chair, had found the face mask and was attempting to put it on. It was surprisingly difficult to pick up, and everytime she tried to put it on her face it slipped down her nose and over her eyes. As she was trying to fix it for the second time, she heard the door open and Sakura entered the room, gently placing down Aoi's personal items, as well as the mattress of her bed. She turned to Aoi as if to say something, but then stopped and let out a small chuckle. "What are you doing?"

Aoi huffed, partly out of embarrassment. She had never been a super-girly girl, more invested in her sports than anything else, and things like makeup and hair weren't exactly her forte.  
"I've never done a face mask before! Everytime I try to put it on it slips down, and I can't fix it" she mumbled.  
All of a sudden she felt like she was going to cry over this stupid face mask. She was just so tired of everything going wrong, that's something so small could just make her so emotional. She fiddled sheepishly with the mask as she turned her head away - Sakura had said she was 'stronger than she knew', but if she saw Aoi crying over something so small it would be too embarrassing.

Sakura sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Can I fix it for you?"  
Aoi nodded.

Gently, Sakura flipped over the sheet and placed it on her face lightly, patting down the edges. "You put it on the wrong way, Asahina."

There was a sudden rush of relief again, just like with the letter. She felt so stupid, but she found herself laughing along with Sakura anyway. It was nice to have a distraction from her thoughts, and she was determined to have a good night for both her and Sakura's sake.

"Sorry for crying again Sakura, I just feel so useless. I feel like somehow I should have stopped the deaths, and I feel so guilty that I did nothing. And - and I blamed Makoto for something he didn't even do!" Another wave of guilt hit her as she thought about Makoto's face when he realised Sayaka's betrayal. Aoi had been sure it was him, never even considering Leon, and it terrified her to think that without Kirigiri and Makoto working out the truth, they could all have been in Leon's place. What if they were killed next? They'd be screwed.

"Asahina."  
Her thoughts were interrupted by Sakura placing a hand comforting on her arm.  
"You should not be so hard on yourself. We all wrongfully thought Naegi was the killer, and many were far more harsh upon him than you. Besides, you could not have prevented this."

"But- we saw Sayaka in the Dining Hall, when she took the knife. I should have checked !"

"I was with you too, Asahina. I should also have asked, which makes me equally guilty. But we had no idea." Sakura spoke calmly yet seriously.  
Aoi knew she was right. No one had really thought of the situation as that real, even after the exploding Monokuma. The idea of killing someone just seemed too extreme.  
"You're right. It's just so hard to believe that something this extraordinary is happening to us."  
"Then maybe we should do something ordinary to feel better."

That was actually a good idea. Aoi had been trying to distract herself, but everywhere she looked was so unfamiliar that she just felt worse. Sakura smiled and went to her side table.  
"Monokuma didn't give us much, but I can do your hair if you like."

Her hair? Aoi looked over to see the other girl holding a pink hairbrush and hair bands. She looked a little embarrassed.  
"You probably wouldn't expect it by looking at me, Asahina, but I do enjoy styling my hair. I would be more than happy to do yours for you."

Aoi nodded, taking down her ponytail, and smiled as Sakura sat down behind her and began brushing her hair. The familiar feeling reminded her of more normal days at school, where friends would trade hairclips and do eachother's hair. trying to replicate the latest style out of those cheap pop-star magazines. It made Aoi smile, and she began to feel a lot more calm, the point where she began to chat about idle things to Sakura, like their favourite films and clothes.

"What style are you doing?" Aoi asked as her hair was pushed into a parting.  
"They are called 'Space Buns'. It's very cute, but also comfortable. I like to wear them while training sometimes." Sakura replied.

Aoi had never heard of Space buns, but she could hear the excitement in Sakura's voice as she spoke about various hairstyles and products. It was cute to see her passionate about something so unexpected.

"I have finished your hair." Sakura said, standing up and going to get a hand mirror from the bathroom. Aoi felt her hair. She was actually kind of disappointed that Sakura had stopped, but when the girl handed Aoi the mirror she was thoroughly impressed.

"Wow Sakura, this is so good!" She examined her hair.  
"You look like Sailor Moon."  
"Or maybe .... they look a little bit like Monokuma's ears?!" 

Sakura chuckled, and Aoi laughed with her. It felt so relieving to hear her friend laugh, and her panic had almost completely subsided. Her friendship with the Martial Artist was something Aoi treasured.

After more casual chatting, they decided to go to sleep - Aoi was exhausted, and as soon as her head hit the pillow she could feel herself drifting off. She glanced across at the floor, where Sakura was sleeping on Aoi's moved mattress from her room. The girl had insisted Aoi take the bed, despite it being Sakura's room, and although Aoi secretly would have felt safer if they were sharing the bed, she was too exhausted to argue. She was just glad to feel so safe. Instead of her other classmates, the trial, or the fear of tomorrow, she was thinking only about Sakura's promise to protect her. Aoi decided she would protect Sakura too. Whatever it took, they were going to get out together. 

"Goodnight Sakura."  
"Goodnight, Asahina."

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted work on this account, so hopefully it's ok! I worried that it might be a or OOC, but these two have such a cute dynamic in the game (romantically or platonically) and my friend suggested writing about them :-).


End file.
